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Taking my plate and cleaning up the kitchen, Arden wipes his hands down on the tea-towel before breaking the peace.
“How does a hot spring sound?”
My gaze snaps to his and my stomach twirls excitedly. “A hot spring? Like a real one?”
Arden’s smile warms his face as he nods, leaning across the bench on his elbows. “Yes, a real hot spring. There’s one not far from the cabin and I need to wash some clothes.”
“Yes, let’s go!” I jump from my seat. Bouncing on the balls of my feet like a child experiencing a sugar rush.
“Alright, alright. Don’t jump around too much, you’ll make yourself sick.” Arden’s laugh flows through the air as he wanders back to his bedroom, returning with an armful of clothes and a few towels. Including the sweatpants and my undies I jizzed in the night before.
Packing the clothes into a plastic sleeve and throwing in a bar of soap, Arden clasps my hand and whisks me towards the door.
“If we hurry we can get an extra twenty minutes to soak before the sun goes down.” Arden helps me down the icy steps and turns to the forest.
The same forest I saw last night. With lurking shadows and unexplainable footsteps.
My hand slips from Arden’s as I pause, my gaze trained on the line of thick trunks and low hanging branches that are dusted in white.
“What’s wrong?” Arden asks, his gaze following mine.
“You’re sure it’s safe? There really aren’t giants out here?”
His eyes meet mine and he smiles pointedly, “No, Blake. There aren’t any giants in this forest. I know my way around like the back of my hand.”
My heart hammers in my chest at the memories from last night. Still fresh in my mind, I know what I saw. Perfectly shaped humanoid footprints that were too big for even Arden to make despite his size.
“Alright,” I agree, yet my gaze still catches at every shadow and shape as we make our way into the shade of the trees.
Our feet crunch in the snow, and the storm isn’t nearly as bad now that we’re sheltered by the canopy above.
“It’s just around these rocks.” Arden leads ahead, clearing a way for me to follow without tripping on rocks and stumps hidden beneath the snow.
My breath plumes around me as I climb the hill, yet the frigid air grows humid and wet as we reach the top.
Sheltered behind a large boulder, a pool of simmering water bubbles and froths. Steam rises high into the sky before being tossed away in the breeze.
“Hold my hand.” Arden clutches mine as we descend the steep edge towards the hot spring. The snow melts the closer we get and the frigid bite to the air fades until it’s warm enough to suck in a lungful of fresh mountain air.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper, not wanting to ruin the peace of the spring.
Arden looks over his shoulder at me, his lips pulled back into a sly smirk. “Just wait until you’re neck deep in it.”
The shiver that runs up my spine isn’t from the cold but something else that burns inside me.
CHAPTER 11
ARDEN
“It’s really natural?” Blake’s mouth hangs open as his gaze sweeps across the spring.
Setting the bag of clothes and towels down at my feet, I begin to unlace my boots.
“Yes, it’s natural. And I plan to never let another soul know about this place… besides you,” I reply.
His gaze meets mine, his cheeks rosy from the cold and his smile lighting up his youthful features.
“Only me?”
